The present invention relates to garment hangers and more particularly to end-clips for garment hangers which can include a retention means or stop member which allows for improved retention of garments such as undergarments, e.g., bras and underpants.
Examples of garment hangers that can be used with the present invention include, but are not limited to, those shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,629,102, 4,828,155, 5,632,423 and 6,357,638. The disclosures of these patents are incorporated by reference herein. In these hangers, for example , the strap of a bra is secured in the hanger end-clip between a pressing member and an elongated bar portion of the hanger.
Referring now to FIG. 1 which shows an end-clip 16 of a hanger, a problem of the hangers discussed above is that the strap of a garment can get caught in area A near a pressing member 18. To solve that problem, U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,423, for example, inserted a stop formation 38 to be substantially aligned with pressing member 18 so that when a garment strap is inserted in the hanger in an area 32 between pressing member 18 and an elongated bar portion 14 of the hanger, the stop formation 38 blocked the garment strap from traveling into area A.
Thus, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,423, it is desirable to have a hanger that can accommodate both thick and thin garments, as well as a variety of materials, and in addition, which can retain these garments in their proper position once arranged on the hanger.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,638 claims a stop formation that is not located substantially adjacent to the end of the pressing member. The patent further claims instead, that the stop formation is located above the inner arm, along the trajectory of the outer end of the inner arm, so as to block access along a predetermined path or trajectory described by the end of the inner arm, as it flexes upwardly in response to the presence of a narrow strap. The patent goes on to claim that by moving the stop formation upwardly, they block access to the inner space when the inner arm is flexed upwardly.